The Historical Works of Gervase of Canterbury

Gervase of Canterbury (c.1145-c.1210) was professed as a member of the cathedral priory of Christ Church, Canterbury, by Thomas Becket in 1163. His observations on both church and court matters give his work breadth, ranging from the king's authority to ecclesiastical topography. A prominent player in the notorious dispute between the monks and Archbishop Baldwin, Gervase attempted to reassert the traditional role of Christ Church as the archiepiscopal church at a time when its position was under threat. This two-volume collection, edited by the scholar William Stubbs (1824-1901) and published between 1879 and 1880, comprises Gervase's entire corpus of Latin works (with marginal notes in English). Volume 1 contains his Chronica, which begins in 1100 and offers insight into the reigns of Stephen, Henry II and Richard I; the Imaginaciones, or statements of the dispute between Baldwin and Christ Church; and a detailed account of the great fire of 1174.